


Gone Away

by iDrownFishes



Category: RWBY
Genre: Depression, Fluff and Angst, relationship potential
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-02 23:30:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19451725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iDrownFishes/pseuds/iDrownFishes
Summary: Jaune is depressed and isn’t getting better. It’s revealed that his birthday already passed and he does not care to celebrate it, so the girls try and cheer him up in their own ways. Enjoy a little angst here, and a lot of fluff there. Rated T for some graphic, detailed violence.





	Gone Away

Ruby was up late. She had tip-toed down the halls and winced every time the floor creaked. 

Her head was now stuck in the fridge getting some milk, and she shamefully grabbed a cookie to munch on. They had only stopped in this house for a couple days, but she still hoped they all weren’t a bother. Maybe she could go to the market later and buy some food for Saphron to make up for it, she would feel bad otherwise.

She nearly jumped when she heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs, acting as if she were a little girl with her hand down the cookie jar. Which was true.

Jaune crossed the entrance and almost didn't notice she was there, apparently lost in thought. His normal armor he often wore glinted dully in the low light. Even from where she was, she could see his face downcast from the restlessness that had plagued him for months now. He looked instinctively toward the fridge light, unbothered by finding somebody there. "Hi Ruby."

"Jaune?" Ruby relaxed. "You're up late again? You know you can't keep doing this, you need your sleep."

"Can't." He rubbed his eyes. "Figured doing something other that just rolling in bed would be more productive."

"Jaune..." Ruby shut the fridge and walked up closer to him. His eyes were red and tired. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her forehead onto his chest. "You know everyone is here for you, right? You can talk to any one of us, especially me."

His slow breathing lulled her, and she felt him nod numbly. Of course he knew that, she thought. It went without saying, but she was just so frustrated sometimes that she had no idea how to help one of her most loyal companions and best friends.

"Thank you Ruby," he put a hand on her head. "But this is something I have to do." He let his arm fall to his side and turned to the nearby front door, only to see Ruby right in front of it. He gasped slightly, the little startle she had given him waking him up just a bit. The spot beside him where she had dashed from quick as a flash was now cold and empty.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about this, and now is as good a time as any. What you have to do is rest, and stop beating yourself up over things you can't help. You're hurting, and being up late and... training, isn't helping." She picked her words carefully, leaving Pyrrha out of it for fear that this might become a real heated argument that could wake the house.

Jaune's expression hardly changed, remaining the subtley grim and sorrowful look that his nuetral expression had become. "Please move."

"Sorry Jaune, you're gonna have to get through me this time. I'll fight you!" She put her palm up in front of her as if to stop him in a stance that was meant to be authoritative, but did nothing to diminish her cuteness. Poor Ruby, even when she meant business, it was hard to take her seriously.

And so, Jaune took her by the waist, lifted her in the air, set her down gently behind him, and walked out the door.

The door shut as quickly as it opened, and Ruby could only stand dumbfounded for a second. She pulled the door back open and looked outside, only for a blizzard of snowflakes to blow into her face and chill her whole body in her pajamas. 

"Jaune!" She called, but her voice was lost in the wind. The faint sound she could pick up of jogging footfalls did not slow, and grew more silent as he trudged away. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Nora, we need to do something for Jaune."

Nora looked up from her lovingly-made pancake breakfast from Ren, who was still up at the stove, making some more for Ruby. "Training late?"

She nodded "He did it again. He tried to go out and train while everyone was asleep. He looked like he hadn’t slept a wink.”

Ruby noticed Ren turn his ear toward them. Nora, on the other hand, wore her heart on her sleeve and quickly went from a contented smile to appearing absolutely devastated. "Really?"

"Yeah," Ruby forlornly looked down at her hands while she twiddled her thumbs. "I've been worried for a really long time about him, but I never knew how to bring it up. I don't think he's just sad. He might really be depressed."

"I'm starting to think the same," Ren said. "I assumed the best option was to leave it be for a while. They say time heals all wounds, but he only appears to be getting worse."

A ray of hope flashed in Nora’s eyes. "I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so! He barely talks to anybody anymore!" She hammered her fist into her palm. "And now that it's out in the open, this will not be allowed to go on!"

"What grand idea do you have today, Nora?" Weiss' voice could be heard while the rest of RWBY came down stairs and joined the group for breakfast, all in varying states of disarray while they made for their morning medicines. That being coffee for Yang and tea for Blake and Weiss.

"Girls! You can help us make Jaune feel better! Any ideas?" Nora hopped up from her chair, energized by the idea of her personal mission.

"What do you mean make him feel better?" Weiss crossed her arms.

"Yeah, I feel like you do that kind of thing all the time anyway Nora. You would know better than us." Yang said, focusing on the coffee pot.

"Everybody is down from what happened. Honestly, I would just leave him alone. Be available whenever he needs us." Blake was unconcerned, stirring her tea and coming to sit at the table.

Nora's face fell, as if betrayed that no one was as enthusiastic as her about the idea. "C'mooon, we need your help! And I really don't know any better, we've been trying to get Jaune to open back up to us for months! We need to do something big... OH! Let's throw a party!" Nora tapped her chin, pondering what this event would be.

"Would you stop yelling so early in the morning, please? Also, your solution to everything is 'something big'," Weiss put her fingers up in air quotes. "So Jaune hasn't been himself. But how do you know you wouldn't just make it worse, trying to force his happiness?"

"But we never even tried," Nora said, and a lightbulb clicked on in her head. "Wait a minute... we've never thrown a party for Jaune. It's been over a year." 

Weiss appeared as though she would rebut, until she saw Jaune slowly enter the room, scratching his head and not looking up to greet anyone. "Hey Jaune! Fancy you're here, I got a teensy little question for you." Nora asked.

He turned his head to acknowledge his two teams, and it was apparent to everyone in the room that Jaune had not slept well. His eyes were red, his face was lined in a manner that made him look much older than he was. "Hm?"

"When's your birthday?"

Now everyone saw where Nora was getting at with her question. During their school time, team RWBY had celebrated each of their birthdays, usually just going to town to eat something other than cafeteria food. Apparently Jaune had neglected to bring up his own.

He looked up at the ceiling with his arms crossed in thought. He turned toward a calendar they had on the wall and examined it for a moment. "It was a few days ago."

Nora felt her heart sink a little. Like a valuable opportunity had been stolen away. "What? Jaune, did you tell anybody?"

"I just remembered myself." 

The silence in the room only lasted a few seconds, but it felt much longer and weighed heavily. Who forgets their own birthday? Nora was thankful that somebody else decided to step in.

"Sooo..." Yang began. "It wasn't that long ago. We can still do something to celebrate, right?"

"No." Jaune replied too quickly. He was met with mostly confused looks. Even Nora's enthusiasm was being crushed, both her and Ruby looking hurt. Still, Jaune could not find it in himself to sugarcoat his stance on the matter. 

"What do you mean 'no'?" Weiss continued. "Would you think it's a bother?"

"Yeah, that sounds like something you’d say, and be totally wrong about." Yang tried to lighten the atmosphere with her voice. "Maybe your friends wouldn't mind doing something for y-"

"Forget it." Jaune met Yang's look with a hard stare. His voice did not rise, but it was noticeably harsh, his whole manner so humorless and authoritative it gave even Yang pause. "It's not important... I'm going to double check to see if we have everything we need to hit the road again on time."

"Wait Jaune," Ruby rose from her seat. "Won't you at least have breakfast with us?"

Jaune looked down and scratched his head. "I think I'm gonna wait on that." With that, he left the room, and some could swear the room was a few degrees colder.

"... Did anybody else's heart just break a little bit?" Blake dared to ask.

"That does it!" Nora slammed her palms onto the table. "I will not let my leader go on thinking his own birthday is unimportant! We are definitely going to do something for him."

"Hm." Ren grunted in agreement, putting a hand on Nora's shoulder.

"I knew there was something wrong!" Ruby balled her fists. "I hate seeing my first friend like this, and it's time to do... something," Ruby ended lamely, putting a hand to her chin in thought over what that something would be.

"He just said he doesn't want a party." Weiss sipped her tea, and didn't enjoy it as much as she would have liked after that conversation. "What could we even do?"

"We don't have to throw a party," Blake suggested. "Maybe just... start small? Each person do little things to show that you're thinking of him?"

Yang hands clapped together with a grin. "Oh yeah! We're gonna love and pamper the shit out of him! ... By force."

Weiss rubbed her forehead, as if soothing a headache. "Yang... no." 

"So, does that mean everyone wants to help?" Ruby asked the rest of her team. 

"It might not mean that much coming from me, we weren't ever that close," Blake stated. "But I’ll help."

Everyone turned to Weiss for her confirmation. She nodded to them. "It would be bad for morale to have him walking around like a sad-sack all the time," she stated. "Plus... well, I never thanked him properly for saving my life in Haven."

"I already know exactly what I'm gonna do," Yang took out a piece of paper, found a pen and started making a list. "The weather looks cleared up, and I know just the knight in shining armor to help."

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I wish the snow wasn’t this deep. I miss the sun already, you know?"

"Mm-hmm."

That had been Yang's fourth poor attempt at starting a conversation with Jaune. Far from giving up, she still searched her brain for topics. 

Yang and Jaune walked side by side through a wooded area, only a half hour walk out of the bounds of Argus. He offered to carry Yang's supplies, a couple buckets with lids, a drill and taps, which she happily accepted and thanked him for. Other than that, Jaune hadn't said a word. The only sound filling the air was their boots crunching through snow.

Yang was not surprised to see that convincing Jaune to accompany her on her little errand had not been hard. In fact, even calling it "convincing" was a stretch. She just walked up to him, asked if he would follow her into the woods that may have Grimm prowling, and he agreed no questions asked.

It's a good thing she thought to ask only after he finally got some breakfast too; he might've skipped it and not thought twice.

It was nice in a small sense, because she could keep her little idea a surprise. Jaune wouldn't even know he was helping to make his own belated gift. 

On the other hand, she couldn't imagine having the kind of single-mindedness that he had to act as a protector. A wise old man once told her (and by that she meant Uncle Qrow), that you should work to live, not live to work. It bothered her, and further motivated her toward finishing this gift.

She decided on a suitable tree and got right to work drilling a hole into it, inserting a tap and hanging a bucket on it. A little bit like getting sap that one time at beacon, except this was more high-maintenance. There would be prep involved that took hours to get what she needed.

Even as she repeated this on a couple other nearby trees, Jaune was always just a few feet away, but never made an attempt at conversation. His head was on a swivel, keeping an eye out for danger. His focus never waned, even as they waited for the sap to collect. The sun got higher in the sky, and eventually Yang was ready to build a fire to boil the sap in. They both got to work collecting tinder and wood. "Aren't you a little curious about what I'm doing?" Yang tried again. "C'mon, take a guess." 

Jaune held his palm up to her, looking intently at something. She followed his eyes to see that a small pack of Grimm had gathered, and were staring at them from only a few dozen feet away. Yang felt unpleasant tingles on the back of her neck at the sight.

It was too early for this. Usually it took longer for Grimm to find her on similar treks through the woods when she just wanted some fresh air back home, and this area was supposed to be safer even then Patch. 

Unless... she wasn't who they were looking for. 

She cocked and loaded her gauntlet and prosthetic arm, but Jaune put a hand on her shoulder. "Keep doing what you're doing." He walked in between her and the nearest pack while he unsheathed his sword. She noticed him swallow hard, like he was nervous.

"Are you sure?" There was no time to answer, as a young beowolf charged at him full force. 

It swung wildly at Jaune's head, which he ducked, and he shoulder-charged the monster, sending it back a couple feet before slicing his sword hard into it's shoulder and through it's spine. Red quickly started spraying from the gnarly wound, soaking Jaune and the snow around him. Droplets of blood bounced on the icy ground.

The second beowolf charged while he was distracted, but the first beowolf was drop-kicked into it as it started dissolving. That second beowolf madly slashed into the first with a furious roar, finishing the job of killing it with a single-mindedness to get through and do the same to Jaune. It's roar became a distinct, canine-like _yelp_ when the edge of a shield crashed into it's maw, sending teeth flying.

He wasted no time and was upon the stunned Grimm, brutally and repeatedly stabbing between it's ribs while it struggled beneath him.

The third and last beowolf stayed back and observed the threat. It was larger, more heavily armored, which probably meant it was smarter too. 

Yang was so focused on watching Jaune fight she almost didn't ready herself in time when the last Grimm decided she would be a better target. It charged at a startling speed, and Yang put her fists up out of reflex. Just as she was about to retaliate, Jaune tackled the Grimm, slamming his shield into it and causing them both to fall and struggle on the ground.

The Grimm managed to get an arm free, and with one hand, swiftly grabbed Jaune by the back of the neck and threw him several feet away. His sword and shield flew from his grip and clattered against the trees.

"Jaune!" Yang shouted, but he barely heard. In a rage, the beowolf snarled and tunneled on Jaune, bounding on all fours toward him.

Jaune, who had landed on his back, had started glowing golden white. He barely got to his knees before the Grimm was on him. He caught the Grimm by it's clawed hands and stopped it in it's tracks, now holding it back. He ducked around while it's canine mouth snapped at his face repeatedly.

"Mother-" He threw the Grimms arms aside to make it lose balance.

_"Fucker!"_ Jaune delivered a brutal kick to it's knee, making it bend at an odd angle. Yang could hear the sickening pop from where she was as the Grimm fell to the ground. Again, she was consumed with watching the fight. 

No fight had been taken out of the Grimm whatsoever, it still turned and crawled on it's arms towards Jaune. As it neared, slower but with no less malice, it unleashed it's loudest roar yet. As intense and loud as gunfire, Yang shot her hands to her ears.

Jaune flinched. He still walked forward and shined brightly, with hatred and anger comparable to the Grimm itself. 

He roughly grabbed the Grimm by it's snout, abruptly stopping the roar. With a enraged cry of his own, he _ripped_ the lower jaw off the Grimm, sending it falling forward beside him. 

Yang's stomach flipped. She heard and saw everything, the joints popping and tendons tearing. She didn't think a dying Grimm would ever bother her, but was that necessary? She felt bile rise in her throat.

Jaune's skin practically glowed red, veins popped through his neck and forehead, breathing hard and clenching the jaw in his fist while the Grimm sputtered, oozing gore from it's head into the beaten snow.

Jaune stared down at it for a moment. Yang saw the torrent of blood that had spilled on Jaune was also disappearing, making his body appear as if he himself were smoking.  
He hoped this would be more satisfying, but learning from his short time at beacon, and his limited experience fighting Grimm, he found that they almost definitely did not feel pain to the degree that humans do. It pissed him off.

In his disgust with the creature, he stomped down on it's neck. The rest of it's body jumped, went ridged, and finally started fading away.

He looked around for more, full of adrenaline and ready to fight. He felt a pressure on his shoulder for a split second. Another one? He spun and grabbed what touched him. 

“OW!”

Only to see it was Yang's wrist he was now crushing. They both surprised each other, and jumped back. "Jaune, what the hell! That really hurt."

His fury died. His heartrate and breathing slowed, his skin started returning to normal, veins disappeared from his head and arms. He wouldn't look her in the eye. "Sorry."

"Jaune..." Yang soothed her wrist, looking almost disappointed. "Just... your ear!"

"Huh?" He put his right hand to his ear, and pulled back to see it covered in red. He looked down to see his shoulder was soaked, and he was beginning to feel warmth slip beneath his armor and stain his hoodie. With his adrenaline disappearing, the beginnings of awful pain throbbed in his head. 

Yang removed the purple rag she always had tied around her leg and approached him. They sank to their knees while she applied pressure with one hand, and stabled herself on his shoulder with the other. "Oh my God, I'm sorry! I should've jumped in."

"No," Jaune shook his head slightly. "This will heal in no time. As long as you're alright, I don't care."

" _I_ care! The rest of your team cares, you idiot!" She looked into his eyes to drive her point home, and was sad to see a stranger looking back. They were the dulled eyes of someone who was losing hope for anything better.

_"Why?"_ Her vision blurred as her own eyes became misty. "Why do you think you have to do everything by yourself? Why do you do all of this to yourself?"  
"Because I'm better for it." Jaune's aura glowed brighter around his head as his disfigured ear healed. "I can hold my own like I never could before. I can lead, I can work, do whatever it takes so that no one else gets hurt. Because you deserve better... I won't rest. I will not be a burden."

This again? She sighed deeply. "Jaune, you're not a burden."

Jaune pushed her hand and the rag away and stood abruptly. It revealed that some of his hair had been ripped out around that area, and a chunk of his ear was now missing. It was caked in blood, but appeared to have already stopped bleeding.

"Don't give me that!" He barked. "If I had any idea what I was doing. If I was stronger, maybe fewer of us would have gotten hurt." He gestured to Yang's arm.

She put a hand over the cold metal. "You don't even know that, Jaune. You couldn't have been there."

"Why do I do this to myself? I wanted to be a Huntsman so badly that I leaped headfirst into it before I was ready, and so Pyrrha got a useless partner! She deserved someone who could have protected her when it mattered. I don't belong. She didn't have to die." He clenched his fists. His voice was low. “It’s my fault.”

"Stop it!" She shouted, hopping back to her feet as well. "You couldn't have known any of that! You trained all the time with Pyrrha, and you did your best. Do you really think she’d blame you?"

"My best wasn't good enough, and it might never be!" Jaune took a deep breath, calming himself. "I’m only still here because I owe all of you more than I could ever give." He looked her in the eye. "But that won't stop me from trying."

Yang could hardly believe what she heard. This was so much worse than had ever occurred to her. It's like he didn't even consider himself part of the group. "Come on," Jaune said. "Finish up what you were doing."

Oh, she would. Jaune needed this and so much more, before he did something really stupid. She built her fire with Jaune's help, and they quietly sat across from each other around it, warming themselves while the sap boiled.

With nothing left to do but wait and watch for Grimm, they sat through the whole afternoon. As the sap was finally boiling down and just about ready to be taken back with them, Yang could no longer bite her tongue. 

"You're wrong, you know." Her voice sounded louder than it should have, cutting through the long, chilly silence. "I wish I did things differently too. We all do. You're making a selfless effort today, and that means a lot." She made eye contact and mustered up the most caring, compassionate look she could. "You're a good person even if you don't think so, and you deserve happiness no matter what. You know that, don't you?"

Jaune stared for a moment. His mouth and eyes moved subtly like he might say something. He said nothing, and watched the fire.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A day had passed, and Yang was putting the final touches on the secret ingredient of her gift. After a trip to the store for other supplies and hours more of boiling, the sap was finally sticking to the spoon she dipped and it was ready to refrigerate.

"You're going through all of this trouble?" Weiss asked. "You could have just bought syrup from the same market."

"No you can not, Weiss-cream." Yang scoffed, turning her nose up at the heiress. 

"Yeah Weiss," Ruby stood behind Yang, practically drooling over the dinner that was to come. "It can't be anything but homemade!"

"Well look at who both became food snobs." Weiss rolled her eyes. The girls could hear Saphron in the other room out of their sight, giving Jaune a hard time again for being reckless and getting himself hurt. 

“Well, what do you have to say!?” They heard her say shrilly. A male voice answered, too low for them to hear. Apparently it was not to Saphron’s liking, as more nagging quickly followed.

"Aaanyway,” Yang said, trying to ignore it. “This is something special our mom used to make for us when we were little. And we're in just the right kind of place and in just the right time to make it! Trust me, it's worth it." Yang carefully bottled it up and began setting up for the next part of her gift. "But still, Jaune got hurt trying to help me out. I'm going to make this the best dinner any one of us has had in months!"

Of course, Yang neglected to mention the bomb that Jaune had dropped on her yesterday. Ruby didn't need to worry any more than she already was.

"Speaking of Jaune, I'll go check up on him." Weiss was the tiniest bit offended to see Yang and Ruby's faces turn toward her, confused. "What? Someone needs to be concerned for his well-being. Clearly he is reckless and not caring for his own personal safety any time soon." With that, Weiss left with the intention of coming right back after asking how he was holding up.

If Weiss were being honest, she did not miss the old Jaune much.

She liked that he was now a capable and reliable ally, and a generally better friend. He was no longer putting her in awkward situations where she had to be the bad guy and turn him away all the time, nor would she describe him as annoying anymore. This new attitude of his was common among Atlesian men, especially Huntsmen, and so she did not see it as a bad thing necessarily.

She mostly sought to cheer Jaune up for her team's benefit. She once promised to be a better teammate, and if doing this would make them feel better and boost morale, than there was no harm in trying.

She thought of places where she could find him, walking up to the guest room he had claimed, only to find he was not there. Just an open journal on a desk. That was curious. Who leaves a book open when they're not around? 

She checked for any others around her, almost tempted to take a peek, until she heard Nora's voice shouting back downstairs. "Alright Jaune, it's that time again! Hit the floor!" 

'Well, that answers that question,' she thought. 'Maybe I'll just make sure Nora doesn't push him too hard.'

She followed the ruckus that Nora made, and found that Jaune was now doing push-ups in the living room while she enthusiastically encouraged him.

Ren watched from the side, and Weiss decided to go stand next to him. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Jaune made Nora promise that she would help force him to get exercise every day, no matter how unmotivated or busy he is. If Nora calls, Jaune has no choice but to do it."

She watched as Jaune strained, now sporting a huge bandage on the side of his head, doing push-ups with Nora sitting on his back. Weiss knew the significance of that request. Nora could be a brutal coach. "He really asked her first?"

Ren chuckled. "He did. He even asked me if I would help him meditate and teach how to use his aura offensively." Ren said, never looking away from Jaune and Nora.

Weiss' brow went up in surprise, crossing her arms. "And how has he been improving?"

"He has a long way to go." Ren said with a smile.

Jaune seemed to be ignoring everyone's presence and focused on his task. He had to remind himself to breathe; all while Nora sat like a princess on his back, one leg crossed over the other and looking as though she was enjoying this a bit too much. "Only twenty more to go Jauney! Don’t you dare drop! You got more in you than you think!"

Jaune was not so sure. His arms were already shaking, his teeth clenched tight and his face was pained. He wasn’t giving up though, and Weiss supposed she could respect that. 

“Seventeen left! You got this!” 

Weiss saw Adrian appear and crawl close by, shimmying up close and beside Jaune. Weiss’ weakness to cute things was showing, she could barely keep from gushing into babbling baby talk at just the sight of Adrian, under normal circumstances.

Which is why she could not hold in a _“Aawww!”_ when Adrian starting mimicking Jaune, getting on all fours and trying to copy him.

Jaune looked to see what the fuss was about, and his eyes caught the little boy. He froze, watching Adrian struggle to keep himself balanced while he looked back at him.

It was amazing, how the miserable haze he had been stuck in for so long could lift, even for just a moment. For an instant, he felt like his old self again, optimistic about the world and motivated to be the best he could be. His little nephew trying to mimic him with such an innocent and awed look on his face made him feel... lighter.

His face hardened once again, but now with a ghost of a smile. He could not give in so easily. Not with him watching.

“Alright. Let’s go, little man.” And Jaune pushed with newfound strength. Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen. Nora had to put her hands on him to keep her balance, and she beamed at the pleasant surprise. “ _Yeah!_ That’s more like it!”

Weiss felt a body press up close to her. “Like what you see, Weiss?”

Her stare snapped to Blake, who had a sly grin on her face. “I’ve never seen you gush so much. If you smile wider, your face might start hurting.”

To Weiss’ dismay, she felt her face heat up. “Well... uh, don’t you have better things to do than make fun of me?” She huffed, crossing her arms.

“Right now? Not really.” Blake said, not at all hiding her amusement. 

“DONE! I knew you could do it, Jauney!” Nora hopped off of Jaune and pulled him up by his arms. He could not push himself up without the help. “Be ready again soon, fearless leader! I just might catch you again today.”

Jaune nodded, and took a knee in front of his nephew. “Good job, Adrian. You did great.” He held his shaky hand up for a high-five. Adrian giggled, and clumsily slapped Jaune’s hand. Jaune opened his arms and engulfed the little boy in a big hug.

Weiss could hardly believe the smile on Jaune’s face. She didn’t realize how much she missed seeing that smile until now.

A comfortable warmth emanated inside of her at seeing Jaune with a child. Dare she think, he might even make a great father some day. And never did she want to admit to anyone else that seeing Adrian all this time, and especially this moment now, really made her want to try being a mother.

Before she knew what she was doing, she went to kneel right beside Jaune. “You did so well Adrian! Can I have a hug too?” She gushed.

Adrian gave a big, open-mouthed smile at the attention he was getting, and Jaune let him go so that he could fall into Weiss’ waiting arms. She sat on her calves while she melted into the hug. “Oohhh you are so cute!”

Weiss’ eyes met Jaune’s. “You weren’t bad either, I suppose.” She felt her face redden, and if anyone asked, she would blame it on Adrian.

“Thanks.” Jaune mustered a cheeky grin and ruffled Adrian’s hair. “It’s all thanks to the little guy.”

“I think you should really be around kids more.” 

Jaune quirked his brow. “What do you mean?” 

“Uh...” She hadn’t meant to just say that out loud. “I mean... you just look a lot happier around them. I... or rather, _we_ haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time. I just think you would make a great dad some day, that’s all.”

Jaune had an expression that Weiss could not read. Was he thinking about it? Did he not know how to answer? She didn’t know what she expected, words were just falling out of her now.

“I have thought about it,” Jaune said. “I do want kids some day. After all of this business with Salem is finished, and I know you and the rest of the team are safe. And... I’m sorry I can’t help being down all the time. For what it’s worth, I think you’d make a great mom too.” He got up and dusted his hands off, strength returning to his arms. “I’ll be up in my room if anyone needs me.”

Jaune went to leave, his footsteps getting softer as he went. “Just when I thought your face couldn’t get any redder.”

Weiss’ eyes bugged at Blake’s voice once again. Worse, Ren and Nora were both smiling down at her too like they knew something she didn’t. She had almost forgot they were there.

“Oh how the tables turn,” Ren commented with an amused smile. 

By now, Weiss guessed she must look like a tomato, and hated it. Damn her pale, sensitive skin! “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You sure, Weissy?” Nora had a big, devilish grin. “Because to us it looks like you might have a crush on Jaune.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Weiss stood back on her feet, keeping Adrian in her arms and looked away, trying her best to maintain dignity.

“Oh, sure it is. Just put the idea that he should have kids in his head while playing with his nephew. And you lit up like the Vytal Festival when he said you’d be a good mom too.” Weiss’ eyes narrowed at her partner. Blake could be so blunt when she wasn’t being her usual quiet self.

_"I haven’t seen you smile like that in sooo long~!”_ Nora leaned her head on her hands and fluttered her eyes, exaggerating Weiss’ comment. 

“Well, maybe Jaune would make a good father some day. That has nothing to do with any feelings that I do not necessarily have.” 

“Doesn’t sound like an ‘I don’t like Jaune’ to me!”

“You wouldn’t mind then if I go and talk to him? I think I just came up with a way to help cheer him up.” Blake said matter-of-factly.

A few things ran through Weiss’ mind against her will when Blake uttered those words. One thing in particular stood out. She nearly winced at her own thoughts. No, Blake wouldn’t go _that_ far.

“Of course you can, why would I care? We all agreed we would, right?” Weiss’ voice got higher in pitch as the sentence went on.

“Okay. Don’t get too jealous.”

_“Ugh!”_ Weiss set Adrian down and practically stomped away. Maybe offering to help Yang with whatever it was she was making would have been a better idea after all.

After Weiss was out of sight, Blake sighed. “It’s too easy to tease her. Who can resist?”

“Right?” Nora laughed. She turned and picked Adrian up. “It’s just too much fun, isn’t that right you little cutie-patootey? Yes it is! Yes it is!” She made kissy faces and spoke in babbling baby talk. “Ren! I want ten!”

‘Only ten?’ Blake thought as she went to leave. ‘I’m surprised at your restraint.’

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blake wished her confident and teasing attitude had stayed with her as she approached Jaune’s room. The teasing was exactly that, a little fun at Weiss’ expense. But now it was time to put her idea to action, and she hoped it wouldn’t appear too weird. But now may be her only chance, not only while Jaune was alone, but also while he was in an unusually good mood. She made it to his room and knocked lightly on the door. “Jaune? It’s Blake. Can I come in?”

Some shuffling. “Blake?”

He opened the door and found her with her hands folded in front of her. “Well, this is a surprise. Need anything?”

She didn’t blame him for being surprised. She hardly went out of her way to speak to anyone, least of all Jaune. “Actually, I was hoping I could help you instead.”

“Oh? How do you mean?” Only after the words left her mouth did she realize what that sounded like. Oh God, was this a bad idea?

“It’s nothing weird!” She bit the inside of her cheek. ‘Nice, Blake.’

“I believe you.” Jaune gave a small smile. “Whatever it is you have to say, I’ll hear you out.”

Jaune’s aura and smile was infectious, and she relaxed. Why was she so wound-up? Of course Jaune wouldn’t judge. “Alright, there’s no other way but to just ask. Would you open to the idea of getting a massage?”

He did not move for a moment. It appeared his brain was like a computer that needed to be turned off and reset again, but after that moment, his hand went up to his shoulder. He looked down sheepishly. Blake smiled. “I knew it. Go and sit back in your chair, and I’ll do what I can.”

“But, well...” Blake was already making her way in and getting ready. She turned his chair at the desk he had been sitting at around. Now the back-rest was up against the desk, so that he could lean forward and she would have nothing in her way. “... Alright.” He conceded. He slowly and stiffly went to sit in the chair, crossed his arms on the desk and laid forward. “But, why?”

Soft, small hands laid on his shoulder blades, and began to slowly move up and down. Blake felt his back stiffen at her touch. She was quiet for a minute, thinking of how she would explain herself. She tried taking her partner’s advice and opening up a little bit. “Because lately you remind me of myself.”

Jaune turned his head and looked side-long at her, inviting her to explain. “If you keep pushing yourself so hard, you’ll burn out, and then you’re no good to anyone. My team taught me that.”

‘Oh right,’ Jaune thought absently. ‘I almost forgot that time.’

“So try and relax as much as you can.” Her fingers spread and started digging more into his back. “And you’ll be better able to work later.”

“Right... um, thank you.”

Only the rhythmic sound of Blake’s hands against Jaune’s blue T-shirt filled the silence that followed. That was fine with her, she still wasn’t much for talking idly. 

She had offered to do this in the past. She helped her team this way whenever the mood struck, mostly Yang. Even for Adam. ‘Gods, if he could see me now.’ She thought. She couldn’t imagine the rage he would fly into, seeing her act this way for a human.

Whenever she did this, the people she massaged always melted into her hands appreciatively. It was satisfying in a way, being able to affect someone like that so effortlessly.

Over the shirt, Blake felt developed muscle, and the occasional patch of scar tissue. She never realized how large he was actually becoming, the armor and hoodie he normally wore hiding it well. Whatever he did since the fall, she had to admit, she was liking the results.

It would be better if the massage was working. Jaune started tense, and if anything, only became more tense as she went on. He sat still, not obviously bothered by the attention, but she could sense something was wrong. 

“Jaune? Are you alright? This is to help make you feel better, so you know we don’t have to do this if you don’t want.”

He thought about for a moment. “Blake,” he turned his head. “Switch places with me.”

“Huh?” Her hands stopped, and she looked at him questioningly. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah.” He nodded. “I think that would make me feel better.”

“Ah...” Jaune’s suggestion never crossed her mind, and it caught her off guard. But the idea was to make him feel better, right? Maybe this was the way to do it? “Okay.”

Jaune got up and Blake took his place. He stopped and stared for a second while she took her long, wavy hair and brushed it all over her right shoulder, revealing her form to him. She looked back at him with heavy eyes, and for an instant Jaune was distracted with the admittedly attractive pose. 

But knowing she could see him, he cleared his throat and approached. “I-If I remind you of yourself from before, than you know why I can’t relax.”

Blake sighed. “If I can do it Jaune, I know you can to- Oo.” She gasped. Large hands were placed gently on her shoulders, and they squeezed down. “Hmm,” she could not help but let out, and she leaned down, eyes closing.

“I’m not sure,” Jaune said. His thumbs gently dug in between her shoulders along the sides of her spine, and moved up into her neck. “You’re a born fighter. You can bounce back from anything. But I’m afraid... afraid that if I stop or slow down, I’ll never start again.”

Blake felt a little bad about not being able to pay attention while Jaune opened up to her, but he was actually pretty good at this. Already she was becoming heavy-eyed, but she tried her best to focus.

“I won’t relax, because I don’t deserve it. Not when I have so much improving to do.”

“And when will it be enough?” She lifted herself up a bit on her arms, waking up more. “Is there ever going to be a time when it’s enough? If you could take down hordes of Grimm, or stop and reform a terrorist organization, or kill Cinder. Will you ‘deserve’ rest then?”

Jaune thought for a minute, and Blake thought he had him caught. 

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But I won’t no matter what. The work never ends, that’s just the way it goes.” His hands roamed downward to her waist, and his thumbs made little circles in her lower back.

“Ah~” she moaned. Blake’s eyes shot open, and she put her hand up to cover her mouth. Jaune tilted his head and looked at her questioningly. “Sorry... it feels nice.” Jaune nodded and continued unbothered. Blake kicked herself out of embarrassment. ‘I can’t believe I actually moaned...’

“Jaune,” Blake tried to save face. “That’s not being realistic. You need rest, and I would know better than anyone.” Her ears drooped. “I know what it’s like to lose people you care about. I know what it’s like to feel like you can’t do anything right, or that nothing you do matters. I learned to accept that I can’t change the whole world by myself.”

Slowly, she begrudgingly got up from the chair and turned around. She needed to look Jaune in the eye properly. She put her hands on his shoulders. “What I can do, and what you can do, is make a _world_ of difference for some people.”

Jaune deflated. Maybe a part of him had held onto the dream of being a hero that could do and accomplish everything, given enough time and hard work. But... “I can’t even do that, Blake. I made everything worse for the people that matter to me. I ran out on my family, became a criminal to chase a dream, and everyone has suffered for it.”

This was getting heavy even by Blake’s standards, and she was running out of things to say. Jaune had obviously brooded about his circumstances for a long time, and a few words probably wouldn’t change his mind. “One day we’ll convince you that no one holds anything against you,” was all she could think to say.

“It doesn’t matter. I hold it against me.” And so he told her the same thing he told Yang. “I owe you and the rest of our teams more than what I could ever give.”

“Then do this for all of us. Have a real birthday, for your team as much as yourself. I don’t know if you noticed, but everyone would really like to give you a real party.”  
Jaune grit his teeth. If she put it as a favor for the rest of the them... “Alright.”

“Alright?”

“If you insist, you can throw a party. Only because you asked.”

Blake smiled. “Only because you _should_ have one. You only turn eighteen once, and no one, not even yourself, should take that day away from you.” She went to hug his waist, her head only reaching his chest. Jaune did not react. “I’ll tell the girls that the party is on. It won’t be anything big, promise. And you have to participate, for the team.”

Jaune sighed and nodded. “For the team. And um,” he rolled his shoulder. “Thank you, for trying to help.”

“I should be thanking you. You have some talent.” She smirked. “Maybe we should do this again some time.” Jaune looked away and down, putting a hand to the back of his head and shifting his weight between his feet. “Ah, there’s the Jaune I recognize.” She teased. “Why don’t you stay here for a while, and we’ll work on spoiling you a little bit.”

“Eeh...” Jaune was still uncomfortable. But Blake was already leaving the room. “Oh... kay.” Jaune sighed, and sat back down at his desk. He picked up his pen and tried to focus.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jaune lost track of time in his self-imposed task. After many hours, many more crumpled up pieces of junk paper and a headache behind the eyes, Jaune sensed a smell that wafted into his room without warning.

He smelled something hearty and yet sweet, something that made his stomach growl and realize he had not eaten for quite a while now.

He left his seat and stretched his legs, not realizing how stiff he had become. As he shuffled closer to the door, he heard a multitude of voices talking back and forth to one another. A deep, croaky voice was saying things he couldn’t hear, followed by laughter.

‘Oh, that’s right,’ he thought. He nearly forgot he had agreed to some kind of party. 

He knew it was wrong, that he should be there even if he didn’t tell Blake he would be, but he just did not want to. He felt as though his limbs were weighed down with lead, keeping him right in this spot where he could continue his self-imposed task. He wondered if he could muster the energy to smile for them and pretend to be thrilled at this party.  
It was wrong to be this unmotivated and exhausted all the time.

‘Come on, if you can’t do this, how can you protect them like you’re supposed to?’ He attempted to pep talk himself. And that food really did smell amazing.

Mustering the little energy he had, he creaked the door open and stepped through. He was almost startled to see that Ruby was just a few feet away. 

“Oh good! I was just about to come get you!” She smiled brightly.

“Hey Ruby.” He managed his own smile that he felt he owed her.

They both started walking together. “I was surprised when Blake told us you agreed to have a celebration! I can’t believe Blake is the one of all of us to actually convince you.” Her face fell. “She did tell the truth right? You did agree?”

“Yes,” Jaune pat her shoulder in assurance, to which Ruby sighed.

“Good. Yang worked really hard on mom’s special recipe, and I’m _starving!_ ” Jaune could almost laugh at Ruby’s over-exaggeration of how hungry she was, holding her stomach.

Reaching downstairs together they were met with all the rest of both their teams, as well as Jaune’s sister, Terra with Adrian in tow, Oscar trying to hold his own in any of the conversations in his spot, even Qrow and Maria sat back, sharing stories and waiting for the food to be served.

“Helloooo~!” Yang said in sing-songy voice. “Nice of you to finally join us!” Yang was sweaty and dirty from effort, but wore a bright and proud smile.

“Happy birthday!” Nora came up and threatened to crack Jaune’s ribs in a big bear-hug. 

Jaune winced, and tried to return the hug from within her death grip. “Thank you, Nora.”

Saphron came around with Adrian in her arms to hug Jaune. “I’m still mad at you. And I can’t believe you didn’t do this earlier! But I’m glad too, because that just means that I get to help you celebrate. You got really good friends, trying to give you a good time, you know that?”

Terra came from another angle and joined in. “Happy Birthday brother-in-law.” Jaune hugged them both back and messed with Adrian’s hair.

“I thought it might take some convincing from Ruby to actually make you show up. I’m glad to see that’s not the case.” Weiss said.

“Fat chance!” Yang started taking plates and filling them with food. “All he needed was to smell what’s cooking. Isn’t that right?” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

Jaune’s stomach answered for him, growling loudly enough for the room to hear. “I thought so,” Yang finished with a satisfied smirk.

“Honestly, you need to take better care of yourself.” Weiss offered the empty seat beside her.

“I was... saving up room?” He attempted.

“We’ll let it slide for now, being your party and all. Just be sure to eat up.” Yang takes Jaune’s plate, and soon, placed before him was the source of the delicious smell. Did she know one of his favorite things in the world was steak? Probably not.

Besides that was vegetables that seemed to be cooked in a pot roast. The mix of carrots, cabbage and potato reminded him of home and made his mouth water. But the best part was whatever was drizzled on top of the meat. It was sweet like candy, and yet complemented everything else perfectly.

Ruby’s face lit up the brightest as her food was placed in front of her. It may as well have been an early Christmas. “Finally!”

“So!” Yang took a seat after everyone was served. “This is of course a special little recipe our mother used to make! It was just about the only way to get Ruby to eat things that weren’t strawberries and junk food when she was younger.” Yang pinched Ruby’s cheek.

“Yang!” Ruby whined, slapping away Yang’s hand while she pouted.

“Anyway since it’s Jaune’s birthday, I put it on a healthy meal full of protein, just like what Lady-Killer needs.” 

“Come ooon, let’s eat already! I’ve been smelling this all day!” Nora bounced in her seat next to Jaune, no doubt excited for the bulky meal as well.

“I’m just trying to say, happy birthday Jaune. Hope you like it!” Yang finished. Nora threw her arms around his neck and repeated the same in his ear. 

Jaune almost felt guilty for the discomfort he was in. This whole evening seemed unreal with how happy he knew he should have been. But true contentment just felt... not wrong, but not right either. Like a dream that may fade at any moment, and so he should not get too comfortable.

“Jaune? You good?” He snapped out of it and looked up at Yang. Maybe she sensed his turmoil.

“I uh... I just wanted to say sorry. About how our trip in the woods went. And really, you didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“Jaune you idiot, there’s nothing to be sorry for. If you wanna make it up to me, eat your food and tell me what you think.”

Everyone else was already digging in, and Jaune’s stomach was still protesting. He carefully cut a piece of steak, slathered in whatever sweet glaze it was in, and took a bite.

And everyone’s over-the-top praise suddenly made sense. 

“I wish my mouth was bigger.” Ren said. “This is incredible.”

“I thought I knew everything about syrup!” Nora shoveled food in her mouth as if it would disappear otherwise. “How do you make this stuff?”

“Sorry Nora, family secret.” Yang winked and dug into her own food. The only one who did not seem particularly impressed was Blake, who was confused as to why her experience wasn’t as euphoric as everyone else’s seemed to be. She found it to be rather bland. It just tasted like meat, but stickier. She would not say so out loud though. It still wasn’t bad and she did not want to disappoint her partner.

“This is...” Jaune started. 

“Yes?” Yang said with a grin, confident she already knew what he thought. But her grin slowly dropped. She thought his eyes were watering.

“This is the best steak I’ve ever had.” Jaune said with no sarcasm, hyperbole or doubt. He sniffled, drawing the attention of the table. “Thank you so much for this. All of you too.”

It wasn’t that big a deal, was it? It was just something you do for someone’s birthday. How far gone was the poor guy that even the littlest things meant that much?

“Well of course, Vomit-Boy!” She said, her mouth still full of food. “Actually, this is your eighteenth birthday right? We should start calling you Vomit-Man now.”

This launched a conversation about which nickname was better or made more sense that Jaune wasn’t paying attention to. He was busy being overwhelmed by the acts of kindness put on by the girls. If he had been told that Yang of all people would cook him a lovingly-made dinner at beacon, he would have laughed in their face. 

“Honestly girls,” Weiss put her fork down. “All this talk about vomit and we’re trying to eat here.” She went ignored by her team, even Maria was throwing in suggestions, and so she tried to ignore that as best she could. She turned her attention back to Jaune, who she could almost say looked bewildered. “Penny for your thoughts?” She put a hand on his. 

He snapped out of it. “Ah, just... I don’t know how to handle all this nice stuff you all have done. I guess I’m not used to being supported like this. It’s overwhelming.”

Weiss blinked. Sometimes she thought she was the only one who felt that way. “That is one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.”

“I know, I’m a barrel of laughs... sorry.”

“Jaune, you and Ruby are the reason we’re all here together.” 

Ruby’s ears perked. “Huh? I heard my name.”

“I _said_ ,” Weiss repeated, loud enough for the table to hear. “You and Jaune are why we’re together. Think about it, would our teams have come together if not for you and him? And if I remember that story right, he’s the one who reached out to you.”

“I never really thought about it. Having everyone together since Beacon just felt right... what brought that up?” Ruby asked.

“I’m saying that’s what we should really be thanking Jaune for. You,” She turned back to him. “Are like the connector between all of us. So please stop thinking you’re not good for anything. These friendships we’ve made wouldn’t be possible without you.”

“Nice Weiss strikes again, eh Ruby?” Yang nudged her sister. To which Ruby giggled lightly and weiss narrowed her gaze at them.

“Eh-heh... that’s asking a lot. Don’t know if I can handle that.” Jaune’s words seemed to have fallen flat, and he cleared his throat. ‘Okay, dumb joke.’

“But really, I don’t know.” All the attention was on him, and it made him nervous. “I just... thank you.” That was all he could muster.

“That’s all that’s necessary to say.” To Jaune’s surprise, it was Oscar who spoke. Or rather, he guessed it was actually Ozpin. “Don’t over-complicate your relationships. Take it from me, you should keep your life simple at every opportunity. Sometimes just letting your friends do kind things for you and saying thank you is all you need to do.”

Ozpin had been quiet, knowing he was not on good terms with the group at the moment. Jaune especially. He directed a hardened gaze at Oscar, and Nora and Ren worried for a moment that Jaune might blow it off, or worse, start another fight with him. But after a moment, Jaune nodded and answered. “I’ll remember that.”

It was neutral, but genuine, and that was good enough for the both of them. For now. 

Their dinner continued for long after dinner time had any right lasting. A dessert of ice cream was served by Weiss (even though she knew the Weiss-cream puns were coming). Jaune tried to help, and was told to sit back down and enjoy the food by just about everybody. He reluctantly agreed, and instead bounced Adrian on his knee. The group had not sat down like this and really had camaraderie with each other for a long time. Jaune started to feel like part of the family, rather than just the servant-leader he strived to be.

After all was said and done, and bellies were stuffed, plates started to be taken up to be cleaned. Both Yang and Jaune tried to help again, but it was taken up instead by Ruby and Ren. Nora and even Qrow both came to be in a giving mood, and got to work cleaning up the rest of the dining room and kitchen.

“We really have to do this more often!” Saphron said, patting her stomach. 

“I don’t know, I think I would gain a lot of weight.” Terra laughed.

“Not just that, I mean we should sit around the table and actually have a meal together more often. This was such a good time.” She looked over to Yang. “But the food I could definitely get used to.”

Ruby sighed happily, scrubbing a plate clean at the sink. “I love when Yang gets in the mood to cook.”

“You do got some talent kiddo.” Qrow pat Yang on the shoulder.

“You and Ren should totally cook together, I bet it’d be amazing!” Nora shouted.

Yang was becoming red at the praise. “Aww, you guys.”

With the night winding down, Saphron got up from the table. “I’m getting drowsy from that meal! And I think a certain little stinker needs to be put to bed soon too.” Adrian groaned in Jaune’s arms when hearing the word “bed” as he was being taken by Saphron. “Happy birthday again Jaune. Love you.” She gave him a kiss on the head.

Jaune grumbled a little in embarrassment, but still gave back a “Love you too.” It gave Yang an idea that made her grin. 

“One last little gift before we pack it in, Lady Killer.” Before Jaune could even question, she stepped up close and kissed his head in the same spot Saphron had. He tried his best not to dwell on how her breasts were nearly mushed into his head as she did so. She didn’t seem to care, and even made a show of it. “Mwah!”

“Uh... uh?” Jaune had no idea what to say, and Yang laughed at him. 

He felt a similar, pleasant pressure on the other side of his head. He turned to see Blake had leaned down and done the same, kissing his head but in a more demure manner, above his bandage. “Happy birthday Jaune.”

“Eh-heh...” He stood up, flustered. “Thank you both. You really don’t have t-”

“Hey, I wanna too!” Ruby dried her hands quick as a flash. She stood on her tip-toes and still was nowhere near close enough to him. “Ugh, why are you so tall?” Jaune was about to ask her why she was so short, until she hopped up and left a peck on his cheek. ‘My God, she’s adorable.’ He couldn’t help but think.

“Oooh, a cheek kiss. Very bold of you sis,” Yang teased. 

“I can’t reach, okay!?” Ruby spluttered and whined while Yang to go pinch her cheeks and ruffle her hair.

“Hiya!” Nora jumped up from behind Jaune and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held herself up and practically choked him while she showered friendly kisses all over his head and cheeks.

“Okay, okay! I feel the love!” Jaune chuckled as he pried her off of him and set her back down alongside an amused Ren.

Finally, Weiss got up from her seat quietly and stood in front of Jaune with her arms crossed. Her eyes were narrowed, like she might hit him. “Weiss?” He asked.

“Get down here,” she ordered. Already overwhelmed with the affection from everyone, he leaned down with the side of his head pointed toward her, not expecting anything. He felt a small, dainty hand on his cheek that directed his head toward her.

Jaune’s eyes shot wide open when he felt soft, direct contact on his lips. Weiss had a serene look on her face with eyes closed, standing on her tip-toes with one hand on his cheek and the other on his chest.

The feeling was over all too soon. Their lips almost inaudibly smacked when she pulled away, her hands slid down and off of him, and Jaune was still frozen in the same, bug-eyed position.

“Well don’t look _that_ surprised. I never thanked you for saving my life at Haven. That is the very least I could do.” She managed to keep an almost professional air about herself, despite the slight pink that now dusted her cheeks. Weiss looked over to the rest of her team, in varying states of surprise. “Not a word out of any of you.”

“Oh, there’s gonna be words!” Yang said. Team RWBY decided it was about time that they go too, as long as Jaune was going to actually get some sleep and even sleep in a little bit in the morning. He agreed, and after they were sure the room was cleaned up, they left with the promise that Jaune would follow soon.

“SO!” Jaune jumped, startled after he watched the team leave and went around the corner. He turned to an old lady that had long since stopped giving a damn about anything. “Which one are you gonna pick?”

“... I’m sorry?”

“I was going to say you and Ruby should get together, but now I’m wondering if it should be the heiress. She has more spunk than I gave her credit for!” Her smile was wide, apparently having enjoyed the show immensely. “Ah, young love.”

“Hold on a second...”

“I vote for Yang.” Qrow leaned back and also enjoyed teasing Jaune and watching the poor kid squirm. “I trust she can take care of herself if you ever get outta line.”

_“You don’t get to vote!”_

The adults, even Ozpin, laughed at his expense while Jaune trudged away toward the stairs. But after the past day, just this once, he was able not to take it personally and knew it was in good fun. It would take time, but with the help, love and support of his new family away from family, there was a chance Jaune could get past all that has happened.

“Make sure to use protection!” Maria shouted loud enough for the whole house to hear. “You’re still young!”

Saphron’s head poked out of her bedroom door. “Jaune needs what!?”

Jaune sighed. He would find a way to out-tease that grandma one day.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact, cats cannot taste sweet things. Just in case you were wondering why Blake didn’t love dinner as much.
> 
> One Spookynooodle has earned a thank you, after I made him read and edit some shitty first drafts of this before releasing the slightly-less shitty final draft you see before you. He’s also been very patient after I’ve been promising this story for months.
> 
> To everyone who made it this far, thank you for sticking around. I hope you believe it was worth your time, and that you have a great day.


End file.
